Reciprocating permanent magnet switching device



L. BENSON 3,114,809

RECIPROCATING PERMANENT MAGNET SWITCHING DEVICE Dec. 17, 1963 Filed May 3, 1962 OMFIIliiIIIlIL 3 V m A 3 a. em 2 SF. M 5 A N 2 A I 4 m\\\ F m n m NI 8 m w B A A v a M A m 2 a 5 2 v9- 2 2 0 m 2 INVENTOR.

LOUIS BENSON United States Patent 3,114,809 RECIPROCATING PERMANENT MAGNET SWITCHlNG DEVICE Louis Benson, 1075 Old Ford Road, Huntingdon Valley, Pa. Filed May 3, 1962, Ser. No. 192,201 Claims. (Cl. 200-87) The present invention rel-ates to an electrical switching device, and more particularly, to an improved electrical switching device employing permanent magnet actuators, generally of the type described in my previously issued US. Patent Number 3,025,372 en tled Reciprocating Type Actuating Means.

An object of the instant invention is to provide an electrical switching mechanism wherein the electrically bridged contact portions and the bridging actuator portions are devoid of mutually interconnecting linkages.

-A second object provides a removable contact assembly which is easily inserted into or withdrawn from the switch body without disassembly of the switch body or removal of the switch body from the switch mounting box.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent in more detail in the explanation ofthe annexed drawing and specification in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially sectioned view taken along line 1- 1 of FIG. 2B; and,

FIGS. 2A and 2B are sectional views taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the magnetic actuators at rest in each of the extreme limits of travel; and,

FIGS. 3A and 3B are enlarged sectional views taken within the noted circles of FIGS. 2A and 23, respectively.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1, a frontal view, with parts broken away, of one form of the inventive device generally designated by the numeral I10, which, itself, is generally composed of body assembly 20 and contact assembly 30.

It may be noted that contact assembly 30 may be inserted into or withdrawn from body assembly 20 by the manipulation of flexible tab 35 within slot 12D of body 12, which is an integral part of assembly 30. A further detailed description of assembly 30 will follow as this specification progresses.

Regarding, now, the magnetic operation of the inventive device, attention is directed to FIGS. 2A and 28, wherein is shown a more detailed view of mventive device 10.

Bracket 22 is shown fixedly attached to body 12 by screws 24, for mounting to a foreign housing or box (not shown) via apertures 22B. If desired, rivets may be substituted for screws :24, or bracket 22 may be made integral with body :12.

Slots 12A and 12B are arranged within body 12 with their respective horizontal axes in alignment. Slot 12A is longitudinally greater in length than slot 112B.

Driver magnet 14A and slave magnet 14B are Within mutual magnetic flux paths and are movable in slots 12A and 123, respectively. Resilient bumpers 1 5 cushion each magnet in said slot. The magnetic poles of magnets 14A and 14B are respectively arranged N-N and 5-8 at the extremities of their longitudinal axes, as shown in FIG. 2A, so that when driver magnet 14A is at its upper limit of travel within slot 12A, slave magnet 14B is at its lower limit of travel within slot 12B.

Though linear motion of magnets 14A and 14B is halted, by bumpers 15, the tendency of longitudinal motion still prevails, due to the combined magnetic repulsion eiiect of N N and 8-8 poles, plus the magnetic attraction of the south pole of magnet MA and the north pole of magnet 14B.

"ice

Driver magnet 14A may be moved in slot 12A by knob Q25, which is attached to magnet 14A thru elongated slot 12C.

As knob 25 is moved downwardly, the northand south poles of magnet 14A are moved beyond thecorresponding poles of magnet 14B, hence, both magnets will assume the positions shown in FIG. 2B. This is again due to the combined efiiect of magnetic repulsion (N N and S-S) plus the magnetic attraction, now,of the north pole of magnet 14A and the south pole of ma'gne't 14B. Again, the tendency of continued motionwill prevail in these newly acquired directions.

Further, as magnet :14A is-moved, via. knob 25 again toward its upper limit within slot 12A, its' north andsouth poles will again surpass the corresponding north and south poles of magnet 14B, until the relative component positions in FIG. 2A will once again be attained.

Thus has been shown above, the articulated movements of both the slave and driver magnets 114A and \MB, respectively.

lmmediately following, this specification will now describe the relationship between said slave and driver magnets, 14A and 14B, respectively, and the contact assembly 30. 7

As shown in FIG. 2A, contact assembly 30 is disposed intermediate of magnets 14A and l14B, and will therefore be influenced by the magnetic flux paths extendingtherebetween.

Contact assembly 30 is, in the intermt of clarity, shown unsect-ioned FIGS. 2A and 2B, however, an enlarged, completely sectional showing of the encircled and noted portions on FIGS. 2A and 2B is depicted in FIGS. 3A and 33, I respectively.

Disposed about, and in contact with portions of assembly 30, are conductor bars 16 and 19,- which are channeled into and extending out of body .12. Bars 16' and -19 are fastened to body 12 by screws .17 and 1-8, respectively, at which point, connection may also be made to the desired foreign electrical circuit which requires the switching operation.

Contact assembly 30 is composed, basically, of a pair of conductor plates 31 and 32, which are separated by an insulating divider or housing 3'3 to form a chamber 39, which may be hermetically sealed at vacuum level, or gas-filled and maintained at any level of pressure, as desired.

Plates 3l1 and 3-2 are so designed as to fit snugly against bars 19 and 16, respectively, when assembly 30 is fully seated within body \12. 7

Tab 35 may be made integral with housing 33, or may be attached by other suitable means.

Within chamber 39, and attached at its lower end to plate 32 by solder, weld or other means, is metallic spring 36. A slug 37 of ferrous material (such as soft iron or other matter with a low residual magnetic factor) is secured to spring36 above joint 38, wherein said spring 36 is attached to plate 32.

Referring again to the operation of the combination of elements shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, it will be noted in FIG. 3A that magnet 1-4.A is halted at the upper portion of slot 12A, while magnet 14B is disposed at the lower portion of slot-12B. Slug 37, therefore, is attracted toward magnet 14A (which presents a greater area of magnetic flux in this instant position), and spring 36 is carried in this same direction until it is substantially flattened against plate 32.

'As magnets 14A and 14B are made to assume the positions shown in FIGS. 2B and 3B, slug 3 7 is attracted toward magnet 14B, thereby directing the tree portion of spring 36 into contact with plate 31; thus completing the electrical circuit between bars :16 and 19.

Restoring the magnets 14A and 14B, again, to the 3 positions shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A, will, of course, open the circuit.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates only to a preferred embodiment of the instant invention, and that numerous modifications and alterations of the apparatus disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described; a container having means thereon for mounting said container to a foreign member; a first and a second guide member on. said container being disposed in coplanar, spaced-apart juxtaposition along a common axis, each of said guide: members having a pair of limit stops at their respective extremities along said axis for controlling the relative travel displacements of a slave magnet unit and a driver magnet unit, respectively guided thereon; said slave magnet unit and said driver magnet unit being movable in spaced-apart juxtaposition and coplanar along said axis and guidable along said first and second guide members, respectively, for limited bi-d-irectional travel between said limit stops; magnetic flux means on and be tween said magnet units for urging said driver magnet unit into abutment with the instantly closest of its said limit stops and said slave magnet unit into abutment with the diagonally juxtaposed of the remaining said limit stops when said driver magnet unit approaches the said instantly closest of its said limit stops; spacer means on said container disposed intermediate said magnet units and within the effective magnetic scope of said magnetic flux means for positioning an electrical contact means therein; said electrical contact means being magnetically controllable by said magnetic flux means for actuating an electrical circuit; bus means connected to said electrical circuit and contiguously positioned adjacent said electrical contact means for connecting said contact means with said electrical circuit.

2. In the device of claim 1; envelope means being seated within said spacer means and encapsulating said electrical contact means within said envelope to form a unitary electrical contact member; electrical continuity means between portions of said envelope means and said bus means, respectively, for connecting said contact member to said electrical circuit; access means from at least one outermost portion of said container connecting with said spacer means for providing external access to said contact member; gripping means on said contact member and extending through said access means for allowing free insertion and withdrawal of said contact member from an external portion of said container.

3. In the device of claim 2, said electrical contact means comprising; a first metallic plate, a second metallic plate juxtaposed from said first metallic plate, said first and second plates each being in individual electrical contact with a portion of said bus means for connecting said plates to said electrical circuit, insulating spacer means peripheryally disposed about said first and second plates to form an interior chamber, means Within said Chlfllllber for electrically bridging and unbridging said first and second plates in response to sequential repositioning of said slave magnet unit and said driver magnet unit.

4. In the device of claim 3; said interior chamber being hermetically sealed, gas entrapped within said chamber being maintained at a discrete level of pressure by said seal,

5. In the device of claim 4; gas pressure within said chamber being maintained at vacuum level by said seal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,770,697 Kellett Nov. 13, 1956 2,927,176 Auld et a1. Mar. 1, 1960 2,946,933 Cummings July 26, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,129,715 France Ian. 24, 1957 

1. IN A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED; A CONTAINER HAVING MEANS THEREON FOR MOUNTING SAID CONTAINER TO A FOREIGN MEMBER; A FIRST AND A SECOND GUIDE MEMBER ON SAID CONTAINER BEING DISPOSED IN COPLANAR, SPACED-APART JUXTAPOSITION ALONG A COMMON AXIS, EACH OF SAID GUIDE MEMBERS HAVING A PAIR OF LIMIT STOPS AT THEIR RESPECTIVE EXTREMITIES ALONG SAID AXIS FOR CONTROLLING THE RELATIVE TRAVEL DISPLACEMENTS OF A SLAVE MAGNET UNIT AND A DRIVER MAGNET UNIT, RESPECTIVELY GUIDED THEREON; SAID SLAVE MAGNET UNIT AND SAID DRIVER MAGNET UNIT BEING MOVABLE IN SPACED-APART JUXTAPOSITION AND COPLANAR ALONG SAID AXIS AND GUIDABLE ALONG SAID FIRST AND SECOND GUIDE MEMBERS, RESPECTIVELY, FOR LIMITED BI-DIRECTIONAL TRAVEL BETWEEN SAID LIMIT STOPS; MAGNETIC FLUX MEANS ON AND BETWEEN SAID MAGNET UNITS FOR URGING SAID DRIVER MAGNET UNIT INTO ABUTMENT WITH THE INSTANTLY CLOSEST OF ITS SAID LIMIT STOPS AND SAID SLAVE MAGNET UNIT INTO ABUTMENT WITH THE DIAGONALLY JUXTAPOSED OF THE REMAINING SAID LIMIT STOPS WHEN SAID DRIVER MAGNET UNIT APPROACHES THE SAID INSTANTLY CLOSEST OF ITS SAID LIMIT STOPS; SPACER MEANS ON SAID CONTAINER DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE SAID MAGNET UNITS AND WITHIN THE EFFECTIVE MAGNETIC SCOPE OF SAID MAGNETIC FLUX MEANS FOR POSITIONING AN ELECTRICAL CONTACT MEANS THEREIN; SAID ELECTRICAL CONTACT MEANS BEING MAGNETICALLY CONTROLLABLE BY SAID MAGNETIC FLUX MEANS FOR ACTUATING AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT; BUS MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT AND CONTIGUOUSLY POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID ELECTRICAL CONTACT MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID CONTACT MEANS WITH SAID ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT. 